Little Moments
by angellwings
Summary: Little moments that leave the guys thinking about their relationships with the Lady Wildcats. A collection of five ficlets for five different pairings. Based on the song "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley. Currently: Chad and Taylor.
1. She Just Looked So Darn Cute

**Title: **Little Moments

**Author:** angellwings

**Sub-title: ** She Just Looked So Darn Cute

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairing: **Troy/Gabriella

**Summary:** Gabriella drives Troy's truck. Set during HSM3.

* * *

**Little Moments**

**She Just Looked So Darn Cute**

Troy & Gabriella

1/5

_Well, I'll never forget the first time that I heard  
That pretty mouth say that dirty word.  
And I can't even remember now what she backed my truck into,  
But she covered her mouth and her face got red,  
And she just looked so darn cute,  
That I couldn't even act like I was mad.  
Yeah, I live for little moments like that.

* * *

  
_

"Are you sure you want to let me do this?" Gabriella asked as she nibbled her bottom lip nervously. He watched as she wrung her hands around the steering wheel. Her knuckles were practically white. He placed one of his hands on top of hers and smiled.

"This truck is a piece of crap, Gabby. What damage can you possibly do?"

She glared at him, "I'm serious, Troy."

He nodded, "And so am I. Just start the truck, Gabs."

Troy bit back a chuckle as Gabriella started the truck. She gritted her teeth and parted her lips in a wince like fashion as if she just _knew_ something terrible was going to happen. She had just gotten her license the week before in the hopes that her initiative would encourage her mother to buy her a car, but that plan had failed. Troy insisted that she get some use out of her license and had practically shoved her into the driver's side of his truck. He had done this purely for his own amusement. He knew Gabriella was not as comfortable with driving as she probably should be, and watching her squirm nervously behind the wheel was very adorable and amusing.

She took a deep breath and put the truck in reverse. She began to back out of the driveway. So far she was doing great. It was a slow gradual trip backwards. He noticed the truck was picking up speed though and began to get a little nervous. He glanced over at Gabriella and noticed a look of panic on her face. The truck's speed kept increasing.

"Gabs, the brake," He said in a worried and yet calm tone. She said nothing but he noticed the look of concentration on her face. "Gabby? The brake?"

"I'm trying! But it's not working!"

"How is it not working? It's the brake," He asked in confusion as he glanced behind them. Gabriella had turned the wheel slightly while she was concentrating.

"I don't know, okay? You said yourself that this thing is a piece of crap!"

"Straighten up a little bit. You're in the yard," He told her, but in her panic she turned the wheel the wrong direction. Now they were headed straight for the Bolton's mailbox. "Emergency Brake! The Emergency Brake!"

Gabriella desperately reached for it, but it was stuck.

"It won't budge!"

His truck jolted as it ran over the mailbox and was forced to a stop as it scraped against the curb.

"Shit!" Gabriella screamed as the commotion caused her to bounce in the seat. Troy's eyes widened and he had to bite back a laugh.

Gabriella gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. A blush crept over her cheeks rapidly. The truck had stopped halfway in the street and halfway in the yard, and right on top of the mailbox. She glanced over at Troy fearfully as they sat in his truck, but instead of him being angry he was shaking with silent laughter. Finally a rolling laugh escaped his lips, and kept on going.

"You…you…c-cursed!" He managed to choke out through his laughter.

"I didn't mean to!" She yelled in her defense. "Oh my gosh! Your parents are going to kill me! I MURDERED your mailbox!"

He continued to laugh and Gabriella glanced at him in frustration. "Aren't you angry?"

"You should have seen your face!" He exclaimed with a grin as the laughter subsided.

"Troy, I just backed your truck into your mailbox! You should be angry not…entertained!"

He shook his head with a grin, "You are just too adorable, Gabriella Montez. Too darn adorable."


	2. She Was Just About to Cry

**Title: **Little Moments

**Author:** angellwings

**Sub-title: ** She Was Just About to Cry

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairing: **Ryan/Kelsi

**Summary:** Kelsi tries to bake Ryan a birthday cake. Set in the not too distant future.

**

* * *

Little Moments**

**She Was Just About to Cry**

Ryan & Kelsi

2/5

_Well, that's just like last year on my birthday,  
She lost all track of time and burnt the cake.  
Every smoke detector in the house was goin' off,  
And she was just about to cry until I took her in my arms,  
And I tried not to let her see me laugh.  
Yeah, I live for little moments like that.

* * *

  
_

Kelsi was running at a million miles per minute. She had a lot to do before six P.M. rolled around. Ryan shook his head as he watched her. One thing he had learned about Kelsi Nielson that he hadn't known in high school was that she was almost as Obsessive Compulsive as Taylor (especially when they were expecting company). His entire family would be coming out to Long Island to have dinner with the newlyweds on Ryan's birthday. They had a quaint house in Long Island. It was the only place that was close enough to the city, and yet far enough removed that they could get away from it during their down time.

"Kels," He said with a sigh. "Let me help."

"No," She said adamantly. "It's your birthday. You shouldn't even be in here. I'm working on the cake!"

"Kelsi, you are running around like a rabid raccoon. You can't do everything you think you need to do by yourself."

"Everything I _think_ I need to do?" She asked him in an offended tone.

He held up his hands in defense, "All I'm saying is that neither one of our parents are going to stress over whether or not our laundry is done. I doubt they'll be going through our hamper. And, for the record, I don't think they'll be checking our windows for that special Windex shine either."

"I cannot have them over here with our house looking the way it does, Ry. I just can't," Kelsi said as she slipped the two round cake pans into the oven.

"Then let me help you," He pleaded.

"No!" She yelled in frustration. "No work on your birthday! That's the rule!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Since when? Because I can honestly say that I have NEVER applied that rule, and YOU certainly haven't either."

"You know, you make it impossible for someone to do something nice for you," Kelsi sighed as the buzzer on the washer went off.

"Well, It's stressing me out to watch you stress out. So if you won't calm down, and I'm not allowed to help…then I'm going to watch the baseball game," He told her as she walked away from him and toward their small pantry sized laundry room.

"Good! That's what you should have done to begin with!" She called behind her as she walked away. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled at his wife. She could occasionally be a little too selfless, and most of the time he was able to talk her into letting him help but this time it seemed she wasn't buying it. He turned and headed back toward the living room to watch the game. He yawned as he sat down and realized how tired he actually was. He had drifted off to sleep before he had even seen the score.

He awoke suddenly to the smell of smoke and the sound of yelling.

"You have GOT to be kidding me! Oh, this is just PERFECT! Damn it, can I not do ANYTHING right today?"

Ryan jumped up and sprinted to the kitchen just as the smoke detector in the kitchen began to go off. A few seconds later the detectors in the living room and the dining room began to go off as well. He coughed as he ingested a little bit of the thin layer of smoke spreading through their house.

"Kelsi? Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Okay? OKAY? Does everything LOOK okay to you?" She yelled with frustrated tears.

He stared at her blankly, "You tell me."

"NO, Ryan, everything is NOT okay," She cried. "First I accidentally bleached out our colored towels, THEN I left a red sock in with the whites and turned our whites PINK, after that I spilled Windex all over the counter and onto the floor-"

She pointed out every mistake to him as she spoke. She held out their once blue bathroom towels, and their once white socks and underwear, and then she pointed to the paper towels that covered the floor and the counter. Ryan quickly brought his hand over his mouth to keep from smiling in an insensitive manner. He couldn't help it though. He had never seen Kelsi this flustered. She was about to have a heart attack because of minor little things that no one would have noticed anyway, and that amused him. It was very cute and charming to him.

"AND last but not least," She said with a sniffle and a gulp. "I charcoaled your cake!"

The smoke detectors continued to go off, but Kelsi merely began to sob over the noise.

"You have no birthday cake because I can't BAKE!" She wailed. Her arms hung by her side loosely and her shoulders began to sag as she leaned over the counter. Ryan once again had to resist the urge to chuckle. He didn't care about his birthday cake. All he cared about was having her there with him. He could tell she was about to really start crying, and swiftly made his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and grinned fondly into her hair. She held on tight and took several deep shuddering breaths before pulling away from him.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

"For what?" He asked cluelessly.

"For ruining your birthday," She said quietly.

"Ruining my birthday? Kelsi, a burnt cake, bleached towels, and pink underwear do NOT qualify as ruining my birthday," he told her honestly. "My birthday would only be ruined if you weren't here with me."

"But I wanted everything to be perfect," she admitted softly.

He chuckled, "In my world THIS is perfect. Imperfect and insane is MY perfect."

She smiled lovingly at him and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. She sighed as she pulled away and then dumped the cake pans into the trash before turning back to him.

"Do husbands in this imperfect world of yours turn off smoke detectors? Those things are driving me insane!"


	3. I Know She's Not Perfect

**Title: **Little Moments

**Author:** angellwings

**Sub-title: ** I Know She's Not Perfect

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairing: **Sharpay/Zeke

**Summary:** Zeke was amazed at the change in Sharpay every day. Set after HSM3.

**

* * *

Little Moments**

**I Know She's Not Perfect**

Sharpay & Zeke

3/5

_I know she's not perfect but she tries so hard for me,  
And I thank God that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be?

* * *

  
_

Zeke was amazed at the change in Sharpay every day. She had been trying so hard to be more considerate of others. It was definitely difficult for her, and sometimes she would let a few back handed compliments slip but for the most part she was very civil. It was the summer after Senior Year, and they were all back at Lava Springs. Well, all except Gabriella. Which meant Sharpay had to win the rest of the gang over without Gabriella's support. By the time graduation had come around Sharpay and Gabriella had patched most of their issues up and become fairly good friends. However, Sharpay had been having a hard time with all of the other Wildcats except for himself, Ryan, and Kelsi. Zeke didn't blame them and neither did Sharpay. She had been terrible to them for so long now it was going to take a lot more than an apology for them to trust her.

Zeke finished frosting the pink hearts on the chocolate cupcakes he made for Sharpay, and gently placed them in a rectangular pan sized Tupperware container. Sharpay had told him several times since the start of summer that he didn't HAVE to bake for her, but he had assured her that he wanted to do nothing else BUT bake for her. He'd bake for her every day for the rest of his life if she would let him. He'd known from the beginning that there was more to Sharpay then even SHE thought, and now everyone else was slowly but surely beginning to see it as well. He couldn't be filled with any more pride than he had been lately. He marched down the hallway to the rehearsal room where he had no doubt that Sharpay would be working Kelsi and Ryan to death on their new number. He carried the Tupperware container protectively as he walked as if he were afraid someone would run into him and knock the container out of his hand. He opened the rehearsal room door quietly and stood in the back to observe. Kelsi saw him and waved him over at the first break Sharpay gave them.

Zeke smiled brightly at Sharpay and handed her the container of cupcakes.

"Zeke, I've told you…you don't have to do this," She said.

"Yes I do," He said with a smile that never wavered. She smiled shyly and accepted the container. She set it down on top of the piano and offered Ryan and Kelsi a few. Zeke was shocked. Sharpay had shared CHOCOLATE. She never shared chocolate. She swallowed thickly and glanced over at him.

"Zeke?" She asked nervously. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Since when did Sharpay get nervous? Since when did Sharpay ASK to speak with anyone?

He smiled confidently and nodded, "Of course. No need to even ask."

"I just wanted to thank you for being so confident in me," She told him honestly.

"I'm just happy that you're finally being the Sharpay I always knew you could be. It's nice to see you growing and changing for them and yourself."

Sharpay let out a scoff, "You're forgetting one very important person."

"I am?"

"You, Zeke. I'm improving myself for you as well. You've been so wonderful to me since my family moved here in middle school that I don't want to let you down. I want to prove that you're right about me," She told him honestly.

"You do?" He asked in shock.

"Of course I do!" She told him gruffly as if he should have known that without her telling him so. "I'm _trying_ for you…Duh!"

And with that she marched back to the piano almost as if their conversation had never happened.

"Kelsi, speed up the tempo!" She commanded before glancing in Zeke's direction. She bit her bottom lip and cleared her throat. "I mean, could you speed up the tempo…please?"

Zeke resisted the urge to chuckle at the shocked look on Kelsi's face, and replayed their conversation over and over again in his head. He had wanted to hear her say that for so long. He had never wanted her to be perfect; he had only wanted her to try.


	4. When She Misreads the Directions

**Title: **Little Moments

**Author:** angellwings

**Sub-title: ** When She Misreads the Directions

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairing: **Jason/Martha

**Summary:** Jason and Martha get lost on their way to Napa. Set in the not too distant future.

**

* * *

Little Moments**

**When She Misreads the Directions**

Jason & Martha

4/5

_It's the little imperfections; it's the sudden change in plans.  
When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holdin' hands.  
Yeah, I live for little moments like that.

* * *

  
_

Jason cleared his throat and forced the smirk off of his face. He and Martha were headed to Napa to meet her parents and look at their favorite vineyard for the possible locations of their wedding. Neither he nor Martha had ever been there, but Mr. and Mrs. Cox apparently visited the place twice every summer. They thought it would be the perfect place for a wedding, and had made an appointment for a private tour of the place. Martha brought her hand up to her mouth and began to nibble on her thumbnail. Jason patiently reached over and grabbed her hand. He rested their hands on the arm rest and continued to lace his fingers with hers.

Martha let out a frustrated noise, "You'd think my mother could have written these directions out in print not cursive! She knows I can't read her cursive hand writing! It's a mess! I mean is it my fault that the 5 looked like an 8?"

Jason chose not to say anything. He knew that the filter in his head would malfunction as usual and he would say something offensive.

"We're not completely lost, though right?" She asked worriedly. "We can just find our way back to the interstate and take exit 18 like we were supposed to, don't you think?"

Once again he chose not to speak.

"Jase? Are you even listening to me?" She asked angrily.

He sighed and chuckled, "Martha, I always listen. I just don't really trust myself to talk anymore."

"I should have asked dad for directions," She said.

Jason rubbed his thumb across the back of hand, "Calm down, Mar, it's okay. We're just a little lost. No big deal."

"No big deal? My parents are waiting, Jase! They really love this place. My mom was babbling about where the ceremony could be and then where the reception would be…"

"Do you really want to get married at a vineyard?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.

She sighed, "No, but we at least have to look at it don't we?"

"Mar, we're over 21 we don't HAVE to do anything," He told her. Whatever road they had ended up on had lead into the middle of nowhere. He kept looking for somewhere where he could stop for directions, but so far there had been nothing. They came around a sharp curve and almost instantly he saw a tiny gas station that looked as if it had been open for half of a century. "I'll stop and ask for directions."

He pulled over and quickly ran inside the tiny station. It wasn't very up to date. There was a counter with an old cash register, a few refrigerators in the back that held glass bottles of different kinds of sodas, and two shelves of various snack foods. Outside the station only had two pumps; One for regular and one for diesel. Jason asked the elderly man at the counter how he could get back to the interstate, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Martha slowly get out of the car and stare off in distance past the station. Jason turned his attention back to the man as he explained what he needed to do. Jason nodded and thanked him. He bought an old fashioned glass bottle of Coca-Cola, and a bag of chips before he left. It didn't look like many people came by this gas station, and the man had been extremely helpful so Jason had bought a few things out of common courtesy and appreciation.

"Martha? What are you looking at?" He asked as he reached her. She turned and smiled at him.

"I think I found the place where I want to get married," She told him happily.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, "At a gas station? I'm all for unconventional, babe, but don't you think that's a bit much?"

She giggled and pointed off into the distance behind the gas station, "Not here, silly. There."

He followed her line of sight until his eyes stopped on an adequately sized white chapel. It was simple and modest yet elegant. It seemed very…Martha. He had to say he liked this idea a lot more than the vineyard. The white chapel seemed perfectly suited for them, and the land surrounding it was absolutely stunning.

"Oh, Jason, it's perfect. We can have the reception under a tent outside. There's plenty of land surrounding it for that," She whispered to him excitedly.

He nodded and smiled softly at her, "Then let's go check it out."

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

He opened the car door for her with his free hand.

"Really," he said as she slid into the passenger seat.

As he closed the door his smile never waned. This was one of the things he loved most about Martha; She always seemed to surprise him. Today was no exception. Who knew that their getting lost would lead them to the perfect place for the wedding? It was too coincidental that Martha's ideal location was off the beaten path that they ended up taking. He was certain that any other woman wouldn't have looked twice at that chapel in the distance, but Martha had always been the type to pay attention to little things like that. No matter where they were those little details always mattered the most to her, and he treasured that more than she knew.


	5. When She Steals My Heart Again

**Title: **Little Moments

**Author:** angellwings

**Sub-title: ** When She Steals My Heart Again

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairing: **Chad/Taylor

**Summary:** Chad contemplates his relationship with Taylor. Set during HSM3.

**

* * *

Little Moments**

**When She Steals My Heart Again**

Chad & Taylor

5/5

_When she's layin' on my shoulder on the sofa in the dark,  
And about the time she falls asleep so does my right arm.  
And I want so bad to move it 'cause it's tinglin' and it's numb,  
But she looks so much like an angel that I don't wanna wake her up.  
Yeah, I live for little moments,  
When she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it.  
Yeah, I live for little moments like that.

* * *

  
_

A year a half ago Chad never would have imagined that he'd be in the situation he was in now. Taylor McKessie was asleep with her head on his shoulder. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be in this situation one day he would have laughed in their face.

"_McKessie?" _He would have asked in shock. _"I would never go on a date with McKessie. She's nowhere near my type."_

He felt his arm begin to tingle and sighed. Of course, his arm _would_ have to go to sleep right now. Taylor had a rough couple of days. She had been exempt from most of her exams, but with Gabriella no longer helping her edit the yearbook she had been crazed. She had to have the entire book finished and at the printers by yesterday at 5 PM. Chad had driven her himself in his early graduation present. Chad had put his Lava Springs money from the summer before into a savings account at Taylor's urging, and as a graduation present his dad had paid for half of a used car of his choosing. He was thankful that, unlike Troy, he was able to buy something that _ran_. He had gotten a 2003 Honda Civic. It wasn't as butch as he would have liked, but at least he wouldn't need to apply duct tape to any part of his engine.

He smiled softly and glanced at Taylor as she slept. She was completely exhausted. He didn't want to wake her up because she needed the sleep, but his arm was killing him.

_What's more important, _he asked himself. _Blood circulation or Taylor's rest?_

He stared down at Taylor's peaceful face one more time before resigning himself to his fate. There was no way he was going to have the willpower to wake her up. She needed sleep more than he needed his arm at the moment. He occasionally wished Taylor would slow down. If she wasn't careful she was going to burn out, but then again her work ethic and determination had been two of the things that had drawn him to her. She wouldn't be the Taylor he loved without them.

Loved? Did he just think that? Did he really love Taylor?

A third glance at her beautiful features was enough to tell him that he certainly did.

_That complicates things a bit_, he thought to himself. Taylor would be halfway across the country when the fall rolled around. What was he supposed to do then? He had been trying to tell himself that he and Taylor were nothing more than a passing high school thing, but that was becoming harder and harder to believe.

Especially at this particular moment. Taylor looked so vulnerable, and he knew that was hard for her. She didn't like being vulnerable and he had taken a while for her to let her guard down around him. It made this moment one hundred times more meaningful.

He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, and closed his eyes as he began to drift off as well. One thing was for sure; Chad wasn't letting her go anytime soon. He didn't care how difficult the future would be.


End file.
